The Past Comes Calling
by rookiegirl
Summary: Pete and Jillian have become good friends. When Jillians ex-boyfriend tracks her down and threatens her, she naturally turns to Pete for protection and causing him to realize that his feelings toward her may be deeper than just friendship.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: This story is fictional and was written for my own entertainment, and the entertainment of other Adam-12 fan fiction readers. These characters are not my characters, except for the one or two that were created in my own mind for the purpose of making this story work.

The Past Comes Calling

Los Angeles Police Officers Pete Malloy and Jim Reed, partners and best friends, were taking a final pass through the streets of their district, scanning the neighborhood for any signs of maliciousness or unrest. It had been a quiet day up to this point and they had spent most of their time engaging in idle chit-chat as they were cruising through their assigned area. Their shift was just about over and they were ready to head back to the station and call it day. Both were looking forward to a much coveted three day weekend and were anxious to finish up their shift and head home.

"Jean wanted me to make sure that you're still on for dinner tomorrow night." Jim said.

Pete had become just like one of the family in the Reed household. Despite, being an only child, he had easily fallen into the 'big brother' role to both Jim and his wife, Jean. A role that he found he really enjoyed. His feelings for the Reeds ran deep and he was pretty sure that they felt the same way about him. Still, it had come as a total shock to him when they had asked him to be little Jimmys' godfather and honorary 'uncle' when the tyke was only a few weeks old. It was gesture that touched Petes' heart like no other and he readily accepted the honor.

"Of course! I wouldn't miss out on a chance to see and play with my godson. I haven't seen him in over a week; I hope he still remembers me!" Pete replied as he was turning into the station parking lot.

Jim couldn't help but laugh at that statement, saying "Yeah, like that's going to happen." Both of them knew that it wasn't likely that Jimmy was going to forget Pete in a weeks' time. When Pete would visit the Reeds' house, two year old Jimmy was never far away from his favorite 'uncle'.

"What time do you want me to come over?"

"You know that you are welcome to come over whenever you want to. Jean said that dinner will be ready at 6:00. I know that you'll want to have some play time with Jimmy before we sit down at the table. Besides, you know that he won't settle down until the two of you have had time to play cars and building blocks."

Pete had to smile at the images he was conjuring up. His godson loved to play cars, mimicking the vroom, vroom sound of the engines as he would roll them and crash them into whatever conglomerate of blocks that he and Pete had stacked up. He loved to hear his godsons' deep belly laughs as the blocks came tumbling down while he himself would feign both shock and surprise at the happenings. Nothing gave Pete greater joy than seeing his godson happy.

Pulling himself out of his thoughts, he replied "Sounds good. What can I bring?"

"Just bring yourself and a hearty appetite. Jean's making meatloaf, mashed potatoes and gravy, green beans and biscuits. She was baking apple and cherry pies when I left this morning, and she made it perfectly clear that I am to stay out of them since they are for dessert tomorrow night."

"Mmm; sounds like a feast fit for king." Pete responded. "How about if I stop by the store on my way over and pick up some vanilla ice cream to go with the pie?"

"Hey, that'd be great!" Jim replied, and then quickly added "Oh yeah, Jean wanted to know if you are bringing anyone with you?"

Pete just rolled his eyes and shook his head. "Don't you two ever let up? I wish you guys would find someone else to match make for." They had done this song and dance routine more times than Pete could count.

Jim couldn't help but laugh at the disgruntled tone of his partner's voice; a tone that he was used to hearing anytime he brought up the subject of girlfriends to Pete.

"Anyway, in answer to your question, no, I don't have any plans to bring anyone with me." Then, sparing his partner a quick glance and seeing the satisfied smile on his face, he continued "Come on, give it up, what exactly are you and Jean cooking up now? I suppose it's another blind date? I'd think that by now the two of you would've run out of out of friends to set me up with!"

"C'mon Pete, it's nothing like that!" Jim nearly shouted. Then realizing how abrupt that he sounded, he took his voice down a notch and, choosing his words carefully, said "She just wanted you to know that it was alright if you wanted to bring someone along."

"Uh-huh, like who?" Pete asked.

"Well, anyone that you might want to bring with you. I mean you could bring…well, it would be kind of nice if we could finally meet…"

Pete sighed. "Reed, just spit it out. Who does Jean want me to bring over to the house for dinner?" _As if I don't already know the answer_, he thought. They had spent a fair amount of time in the past month dancing around this issue, as well.

"Well, uh, I think she kind of wants to meet your new neighbor. Actually, we'd both like to meet her. That is if you want to bring her over, I mean." Jim knew this was a tired subject with his partner, the confirmed bachelor, but he and Jean really did want Pete to find someone special; someone that he might someday settle down with on a permanent basis. Maybe this was the girl, maybe this wasn't. Either way, it couldn't hurt to meet her. After all, she was Petes' neighbor and he did seem to consider her a friend. In fact, it seemed to Jim that Pete had sort of taken it upon himself to help Jillian become acclimated to the area since her move from Maine to L.A. over a month ago.

"I'll think about it; but if I do bring her along, understand that Jillian and I are just friends; neighbors to be more specific; nothing more, nothing less. She's not my type." Pete stated firmly; and then, remembering their first meeting, he threw in "Besides, as accident prone as she is, I'd have to have as many lives as a cat to survive any other type of relationship with that girl!"

Jim couldn't help but grin when he thought back to the story of his partners' first encounter with the 'five foot catastrophe,' as Pete had dubbed her. Their introduction had landed Pete in the emergency room. As Jim recalled Pete hadn't been too happy about spending the better part of a week on desk duty thanks to the swollen eye and stitches that had resulted from that first meeting.

As Jim continued to stare at Pete, waiting for a more committed answer, Pete finally relented and said "Fine. I'll ask her when I get home."

Having accomplished what he had set out to do, and unable to keep that sappy, smug smile off of his face, Jim said "Good! Jean will be happy about that. She has been dying to meet the girl who finally made you fall at her feet." He dared not look at his partner after that quip or he knew he would burst out laughing for sure.

Pete clenched his jaw and spared a quick glare towards Jim, and then in a stern voice, quickly retorted "She didn't make me FALL at her feet; she KNOCKED me off of mine…TWICE, I might add!"

Hearing Jim's gut busting laugh, and refusing to acknowledge the huge grin on his partners' face, Pete pulled the squad car into an available parking spot behind the station. He didn't need to be a mind reader to know that Jim was replaying the story in his mind and finding it, once again, very entertaining. Now he wished that he would have made up a story about the black eye and stitches instead of giving his partner a full arsenal of ammunition to hold over his head.

Both officers exited the vehicle and began unloading their gear and other equipment. They quickly performed the routine check to make sure nothing was left behind in the squad car before turning in the keys and the shotgun that they had signed out.

Since they hadn't had too many calls, they didn't have a lot of paperwork. They made short work of giving a quick once over to the forms that they had to turn in and then they were able to hit the locker room and change before heading out for the weekend.

Just the knowledge of three days off was enough to put an extra spring in Pete's step as he and Jim were heading out to their cars.

"Now don't forget to ask her." Jim yelled to Pete as they parted ways in the parking lot.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah" Pete muttered as he waved casually to Jim and got into his car.

Right now all he wanted to do was go home and have a nice, relaxing evening in front of the television. Maybe catch a few winks while his t.v. dinner was baking in the oven. These were the kinds of evenings that Pete like to refer to as 'bachelorhood at its best'.

*********

It was nearly five o'clock by the time Pete pulled his car into a space behind the apartment building. The late afternoon sun was beginning to go down on the horizon and the mid-October weather was beginning to cool down for the evening. _Nice weather for sleeping with the window open,_ thought Pete.

He could see that Jillians' car was in the lot, so he knew she was home. Her second floor apartment window was open and she had her stereo turned up a bit louder than normal. She was singing along at the top of her lungs and he couldn't help but grimace when she hit a sour note; a really, really, sour note. It wasn't the first time he had heard her singing off key and he made a mental note to himself to buy a set of earplugs.

Pete couldn't help but chuckle as he thought, _I wonder how long etiquette dictates that I be acquainted with her before I can diplomatically tell her that she can't carry a tune and shouldn't be singing out loud where everyone can hear? _He knew he would never say anything like that to her face. If he did, she'd probably 'accidentally' get even with him somehow.

_I may a well get this over with_, he thought, as he neared her apartment door. When he got closer to her door, he could hear a second voice blending in with Jillians' and crooning out the words to a popular love song. Surely he couldn't be hearing what he thought he was hearing! The second voice sounded just like that of his landlady, Mrs. O'Brien. Prim, proper, Mrs. O'Brien.

His curiosity peaked, Pete knocked on Jillian's door. He was curious to see what the two women were up to. He had no sooner finished knocking and the door flew open, thankfully inwardly.

The sight before his eyes caused him to put a hand up to his mouth and feign a half cough half laugh. He dared not look Jillian in the eyes for fear he would laugh out loud.

There she stood, all five foot of her, in an oversized man's shirt and sweat pants, holding a paint roller that bore the end traces of green paint. The shirt, knee length on her petite frame, had purple, blue, red and green paint splatters all down the front. Speckles of the same colors adorned Jillian's face, hands and short dark brown hair. Just behind her, Pete could see Mrs. O'Brien wearing an equally oversized man's shirt over her dress. Her silverish white hair, with several strands hanging loosely from the bun atop her head, looked like a rainbow of colors, as well; her paint roller held traces of blue. Both women were grinning from ear to ear.

"Hey, Pete! Come on in and join the fun!" Jillian said.

Having quickly recovered from his initial reaction, and hoping that his face was now void of any expression, he could only think _Oh, brother! What have I walked into now?, _as he stepped through the doorway.

Looking at the walls in the sparsely furnished apartment he once again had to consciously close his mouth and bite his lower lip in order to keep from laughing out loud. He felt like he was in a commercial for crayons or watercolors. Everything was so…bright…and colorful…and primary. From his vantage point he could see that each wall of the living room, had been painted a different color, from floor level to about six feet above floor level, leaving about three feet of white up to the ceiling. Obviously Jillian didn't have a ladder or she just hadn't gotten around to bringing up the one that Mrs. O'Brien kept in the basement of the apartment building.

Trying his best to stifle the laughter that was threatening to come forth, he looked toward the floor as he acknowledged the two women standing in front of him "Uhm…Hi Mrs. O'Brien; Jillian."

"Oh, hello Pete" chimed in Mrs. O'Brien as she offered a grandmotherly smile towards him. "I'm sorry that you missed all of the fun! We've just finished up painting for the day and I'm on my way out." And then looking towards Jillian, she said "Jillian dear, I'll wash this roller and bring it back later this evening so you can use it again tomorrow."

"You don't have to make a special trip back up here, Mrs. O'Brien. I can pick it up tomorrow when I drop by your apartment and pick up the basement key. I'll need it so I can get the ladder."

"Oh, well that will work too, I suppose."

"Thanks again, for everything, Mrs. O'Brien. I couldn't have ever gotten this much done in one day on my own." Jillian stated as she was seeing her landlady out. "Good evening, now."

"Good evening Mrs. O'Brien" Pete said in a mildly amused voice.

"Toodles; you kids have fun, now." she said. And with that, Mrs. O'Brien walked spryly out of Jillian's place and headed back to her first floor apartment.

_Toodles?_ thought Pete. If he didn't know any better, he'd swear that Mrs.O'Brien had been abducted and brainwashed by aliens. _No,_ thought Pete, _not brainwashed by aliens, brainwashed by Jillian._ In the eight years that he had rented from her, he had never known his landlady to run around singing to the radio and painting walls. Come to think of it, he had never seen her look so 'unkempt' either. He was used to seeing her hair piled in a neat bun on the top of her head and her dresses and sweaters looking as if they had just come back from the dry cleaners. _Jillian certainly does have a way with people, _he thought.

Turning his attention back to Jillian, "Doing some redecorating or just perfecting your 'painter's outfit' for Halloween?" quipped Pete.

Jillian, not missing the sparkle of amusement in Petes' eyes, quickly retorted "Redecorating. I already have my Halloween costume made, how about you?"

Choosing to ignore her question he let out a small chuckle.

Looking around once again, he was not able to stifle his curiosity any longer, and he asked "Okay, I'll bite; why the rainbow of colors?"

"Well, it's like this; I do freelance photography and when business is slow, I do portraits. These colors are the most requested background solids so asked Mrs. O'Brien if I could paint this room so I would have a place to work, when needed. She thought it was a terrific idea and even graciously offered to help me paint. In my book, painting ranks right up there with having a root canal done and I was ready to call it quits by the time we had the first two walls finished. She, on the other hand, was on a roll and having the time of her life; she kept insisting that we could get the other two done by dinner if we kept plugging away. I don't mind telling you that she wore me to frazzle! That woman has spunk!"

_She's not the only one with spunk!, _he thought.

"So I see. Judging by your clothes and your uh…colorful hairdo, I'd say you got just about as much paint on you as you did on the walls, though. Uh… by the way, are you going to finish around the top, or leave the three foot strip of white?" Pete's dry sense of humor was shining through loud and clear.

"Oh, I'm leaving that part white all of the way around each room. It adds a touch of panache, wouldn't you say?" Jillian shot back, causing Petes' eyebrows to shoot up. Jillian had to laugh at the expression that crossed his face. _Sometimes I just don't think he knows quite how to take me,_ she thought, smiling to herself.

"Of course I plan on painting all of the way up. If I didn't finish it off I'd be in trouble if anyone taller than six foot wanted to stand up for a picture. It's just that I'm scared to death of ladders and heights so I am putting it off as long as possible."

"Somehow I can't imagine you being scared of heights, or anything else for that matter!" He had seen her try all kinds of different things that none of the other women he knew would ever try. He had even seen her changing the oil in her car the other week. He wasn't quite sure just how that endeavor had panned out for her, but after watching her for awhile, he was pretty sure that she would never again forget to put the oil plug back in before putting in the new oil. He couldn't help but laugh when he thought about the look on her face when she realized the oil was going straight through. For the most part she certainly appeared to be very self-sufficient. He wondered if her whole family was like that.

"Oh, I assure you, the fear of heights is very real for me; if I even think about putting on high heels I get lightheaded and really freak out!" Her eyes were as big as saucers.

At this, Pete laughed out loud. He wasn't sure if she was joking or if she was really serious so he played it safe and said "Well hey, I'm off for the next three days so tomorrow I'll get the ladder from the basement and help you finish off around the top." As soon as he said it, he found himself wondering why he was offering. He hated to paint, and he certainly didn't want to spend his day off doing just that. Besides, as much as he had ribbed Jim for always painting on his days off, he knew that his partner would really chew on this for a long time to come. Well, if he was to find out, that is.

"Wow, thanks. That's really sweet of you." Jillian replied as she turned to walk across the room and put the paint roller down in the roller tray. _I really need to do something nice for him, in return _she thought.

"No problem; it's always a pleasure to help a damsel in distress."

"Oh gag! Pull yourself out of the 'knight in shining armor' mode, huh? I'm hardly what you'd call a 'damsel in distress';" _at least not over some unpainted walls,_ thought Jillian. "Seriously though, I do appreciate the offer, and I'll take you up on it if you'll agree to let me fix you dinner in return." _I hope he doesn't think I am hitting on him,_ she thought.

"Done!" said Pete. Being a bachelor usually meant t.v. dinners or fast food on an almost daily basis so he rarely turned down an offer for a home cooked meal. He knew that she could cook, and a lot better than she could sing, because she had already brought over a few different dishes to share and they were wonderful.

"So, what'll it be? Spaghetti, fried chicken, baked fish?" I can have dinner ready by 7:15 if I get started right away."

Taking another look at the disarray that both she and her apartment were in at the moment, Pete suggested "How about if I take a rain check on that dinner and we order a pizza and eat at my place?"

"Are you sure you want pizza?" asked Jillian. "It really wouldn't be any trouble for me to fix something."

She looked a bit tired and he figured that she had smelled enough paint fumes for awhile. Getting out the apartment for a couple of hours would probably be good for her. He knew that there would be another day for that promised home cooked meal. "Actually, pizza is what I have been craving all day." said Pete.

"Okay, pizza it is, then. I'll get cleaned up and be over in forty-five minutes. Is that too soon?"

"Forty-five minutes it is" said Pete.

Turning to leave, Pete suddenly stopped and turned back around, causing Jillian to run smack into him. Pete let out an exasperated sigh and said "Why do I always feel like I should be wearing a protective layer of bubble wrap when I am around you?"

"Hey buddy, I'm not the one that stopped without any warning!" Jillian easily shot back. The smile on her face gave very little credence to any annoyance that she had hoped to project.

Knowing that he wouldn't win, Pete threw up his hands in surrender and laughed. "Okay, you win that round. Anyway, I was just going to ask you if you have any plans for tomorrow evening?" _I hope she doesn't think I'm making a play for her,_ thought Pete. He could feel himself blushing and quickly added "My partner and his wife asked me to come over for dinner tomorrow night and they really want to meet you. If you want to go along, that is…I mean, I would like for you to go along…again, that is if you want to" Pete was stammering over his words now and Jillian thought that he looked a bit uncomfortable. He sure was cute when he got flustered!

He knew he sounded nervous and he could see that Jillian was enjoying his discomfort just a little too much, but he couldn't seem to make his feet move toward the door until he had an answer from her.

_Why should I feel this nervous about asking a friend to go to dinner? I wish these butterflies would go away!_

Jillian, caught off guard by the sudden loss of self confidence that Pete usually projected, managed to answer "Sure. I guess so. That was very nice of them to ask."

Even as she answered she could almost feel her own sense of panic settling in. She really did want to meet Petes' friends; especially Jean. It would be nice to have another female close to her own age to talk with once in awhile. Since moving here a month ago she had been very careful about going out into public any more than necessary, usually limiting her outings to quick trips, such as to the grocery or to the post office to pick up her mail. She couldn't explain it, but she couldn't seem to shake this feeling that she was being watched every time she did leave the apartment. She hadn't seen anyone suspicious or anyone resembling Calvin Hartford, her ex-boyfriend, but never the less, she hadn't wanted to take any unnecessary chances. She didn't think Cal had found her, and she wasn't sure if he was even looking for her, but she felt that she needed to take precautions and lay low for awhile longer. In essence, making new friends hadn't been on her list of top priorities.

_Hmm, she looks a bit nervous, too. Wonder what that's all about?_

"Dinner is at 6:00 so we'll head over there about 5:00. They don't live that far from here, but I'd like to get there a little early so I can spend some time with my godson. You'll love him. He's a two year old bundle of pure energy!" Jillian could see and hear the pride in Petes' eyes and voice when he mentioned his godson.

"Sounds like it'll be a fun time. I'm looking forward to meeting everyone." Her smile didn't quite reach her eyes and Pete couldn't help but detect a note of nervousness in her voice. She suddenly seemed very vulnerable and for some reason that bothered him a lot more than it probably should have. _Just 'cop instinct' kicking in,_ he thought.

"Well, I guess I'll see you in a little bit" he said as he was going through the door.

"Yeah, okay. See you in bit" answered Jillian as the door was closing.

Jillian walked over to the sofa and sat on the arm. She briefly closed her eyes, and thought _why couldn't I have met someone like him instead of that jerk that I hooked up with?_

Jillian quickly pulled herself out of her little self-pity party and busied herself with cleaning up the paint roller and getting herself presentable. She made quick work of her tasks and was soon knocking on the door of Pete's' apartment.

Pete hollered that the door was open and for her to come on in.

Catching a whiff of the pizza as she went in, she suddenly realized that she hadn't eaten since breakfast. Much to her dismay, her stomach let out a long, low growl. She had hoped that Pete hadn't heard the embarrassing sound, but immediately knew that he had, whe he chuckled and rolled his eyes.

She went to the kitchen and pulled down two plates from the cupboard. She didn't need to ask where anything was at since she been over to Petes' apartment a few different times and pretty much knew the layout of the kitchen. His apartment was, after all, a mirror image of her own apartment.

Pete busied himself with getting the drinks while Jillian put several slices of pizza on a plate for him and a couple of slices on a her own plate.

After placing the two plates on the coffee table, she headed back to the kitchen for napkins. As she was passing by the front window, she glanced down at the street. Staring up at her was Cal Hartford. He held her gaze for what seemed to her like an eternity, but in reality it was only a few seconds. The move he made next made her blood run cold. He pointed his finger at her and made a shooting motion and then walked to the corner and turned out of sight. Letting out a sudden gasp, Jillian moved quickly away from the window.

Pete, who was coming from the kitchen at that same moment, couldn't help but hear the gasp and catch Jillian's' reaction to whatever it was that she saw on the street below.

"Jillian, what's wrong?"

"Pete, he's here. He's in L.A. I just saw him down there; on the street." Jillian sounded spooked and looked as pale as a ghost.

"Him who? Who'd you see?"

"Cal; my ex-boyfriend. He's found me! What am I going to do?" Jillian looked frightened and Pete could've sworn that he saw her visibly shake at the mere mention of Cals' name.

Pete was at the window in three long strides and was visually scanning street below, but not seeing anyone around now. "What's he wearing? What does he look like? Which way did he go? Did you see him get into a car? Is this the first time that you've seen him?" the questions were fired fast and furious.

He kept thinking that he should have gotten a description of him when Jillian first moved in, but the likelihood that the jerk would follow her out here seemed overly presumptuous so he just let it slide. Now he wished he would have pushed a bit more when he'd first met her and she had shared her reason for moving out here. Maybe he could have gotten her to open up a little more about the ex and he would have a better handle of what they could be dealing with. After all, anyone who would follow someone three thousand miles couldn't be playing with a full deck. Pete had a really bad feeling about this.

Crossing the room and sitting down on the sofa she answered "He had on a green army jacket and red baseball cap. He's about your height and has coal black hair. I didn't see his car out front, but he was turning the corner when I looked out. He looked right up here. I know that he saw me. He knows where I live now. What am I going to do?" by now she was rambling and the haunted look in her deep brown eyes, coupled with the paleness of her face, really unnerved Pete. She was scared. Genuinely scared; this was a side of her that he hadn't seen before. _What did that jerk put her through?_, he wondered.

Going over to sit beside her, he gently touched her shoulder and in a patient and kind voice, the one he normally used when dealing with children, he said "Jillian, you need to tell me everything that happened back in Maine. If he is here in L.A., the more we know about the past, the better equipped we'll be to protect you."

"You can't protect me. He wants me dead, Pete. When I broke it off with him, his parting words were 'You're as good as dead, bitch. If I can't have you, nobody else will, either.' He wasn't kidding, Pete, he will kill me if he gets the opportunity. That's why I don't go anywhere that isn't necessary. He has me running scared. He's a control freak who gets his thrills out of invoking fear in people." by now Jillians' voice was low and strained and Pete could tell that she was very close to the breaking point.

She took a couple of deep breaths and he could see that she was fighting hard to keep the tears from spilling over.

It nearly broke his heart when the first tear drop did spill over. With that fallen teardrop, all of her reserves gave way and the floodgates opened up. Jillian put her hands over her face and began to sob.

An entire months worth of fear and worry spilled forth with such a shaking force, causing Pete to do the only thing that seemed natural. He gathered her into his arms, and holding her tightly, he began to rub her back with his right hand, while he kept telling her over and over that it would be all right, and that he wasn't going to let anything happen to her.

He had always felt at a loss when a woman cried. It made him feel uncomfortable, helpless, almost. It was worse when the woman was someone that he knew and cared about; as Jillian leaned against him, with her face buried in his shoulder and continuing to sob he realized that he had come to care quite a bit about her in the short time that they had known one another. He couldn't exactly put into words what his feelings were towards her, but he did know that they ran deeper than the 'just friends' type of feelings. This realization hit him like a hard punch in the gut.

"C'mon now, you have to try to calm down." Petes' voice was soothing and after several minutes of softly spoken encouragement, Jillian was able pull away from him to sit by herself on the edge of the couch. As she sat there, the fear never leaving her eyes, he could see that she was still struggling to come to terms with all that was happening.

Wanting to give her some time to compose herself he went over and got a couple of tissues for her and then he went to phone and dialed his partners' home phone number.

He wanted to get Jillian away from the apartment and the sooner the better. He knew that the Reeds would welcome her into their home; he also knew that Jim would help him keep her safe until they could catch this guy and put him in jail.

"Reed residence" answered Jean on the third ring.

"Hi Jean, this is Pete. Is Jim in?" he asked; his voice strained.

"Yes Pete, he's right here. Is everything all right? You sound upset." Jean's voice was full of concern.

"Jim can explain everything after I talk to him."

"Sure Pete. Here he is"

When Jim got on the phone, Pete explained why he was calling. Jim was quick to offer just what Pete knew he would; bring Jillian over; she was welcome to stay at their house for as long as needed.

*********

My thanks to all who have taken their time to read this story. This piece is still a work in progress. I hope to add a couple of more chapters, but in the meantime, please enjoy this first part, and please review.


	2. Chapter 2

The Past Comes Calling

Chapter 2

_Nightfall, that's when I'll make my move, _thought Cal.

He had gotten Jillian's' address through his cousin, a deputy sheriff two counties over from their hometown. She had registered her car and renewed her drivers license after moving, just like he knew she would, thus making it easy to track her in the system. His cousin knew it was wrong to give Cal the information, but he owed him big time for a job that he had asked Cal to take care of a couple of years back. Cal had done what was expected of him and his cousin had been able to secure the suddenly vacated deputy sheriffs position. In Cals' world it all boiled down to 'you scratch my back, I'll take care of you dirty work.'

Now Jillian was his target and that was her own fault, he thought. _She shouldn't have left. She didn't give me any choice but to find her and…well… maybe not kill her right away. Maybe I'll have a little fun with her first. _ _I don't like being lead all over the countryside looking for my woman, MY PROPERTY! _ _She needs to be taught a lesson in obedience before I kill her. And, after I finish with her, I'll head back home and start in on that family of hers. They should've cooperated with me when I asked them where she went when she left. _These thoughts brought forth a sickening and demented laughter from Cal.

Rounding the corner, he came to the address on the paper. The apartment building was an older three story brick with twelve units housed inside. Jillian's unit was on the second floor. Entering the first floor, he checked the names on the mailboxes. All but one had a name and apartment number listed. Her name wasn't among the labeled ones so he could only assume that she was receiving her mail in a post office box.

He did a quick scan of the ground floor apartment numbers. Assuming that all of the floors were lain out the same, Jillian's apartment should be at the far end of the building, facing the back lot. _Perfect,_ he thought_. No one will be able to see me climb the back fire escape. This will be a piece of cake._

Quickly exiting the building, Cal glanced up at the second floor. His blood ran cold. There was Jillian, standing near the window of the apartment facing the street side, not the rear. His cousin had given him the wrong apartment number. He'd deal with that later, right now it was essential that Jillian knew he was coming for her. He knew the minute that she had seen him; he could see her blanch; he could've sworn that he could almost hear the gasp that she let out. He made a 'shooting' motion toward her and then walked off. _Let her think about that,_ he thought, smiling to himself. _I'll be back tonight, darling._

********

Pete hung up the phone and sat down on the couch next to Jillian. "I just spoke with Jim and it's all settled. You can stay at their place as long as needed. We are going to catch this guy and he's never going to be able to hurt or terrorize you or anyone else ever again. I promise you that, just as sure as I am sitting here with you." Pete spoke in a matter of fact voice that shouldn't have left any doubt in Jillian's mind that everything could work out so easily.

Jillian feared, however, that in reality catching Cal would be anything but easy. He was hunter, with hunter instincts. He took what he wanted, when he wanted and if anyone stood in his way, he made sure that they paid dearly. It was a simple as that. She couldn't help but shudder when thinking back to the horrific stories that Cal had told her. She knew that he had been feeding on her fear, in order to make her stay in their relationship. She also knew that he would eventually kill her whether she stayed or not. Fleeing had seemed the only thing to do. _No,_ thought Jillian, _Pete couldn't protect her._ She knew how mean and evil Cal could be; Pete did not.

Still, Jillian took her time to contemplate what Pete had just told her and then she spoke with a quiet reserve, "No Pete, I can't let your friends get involved in my problems. It's bad enough that I've involved you. It's just best if I get out of town as soon as possible. He can't watch the apartment 24/7 so maybe I can slip away unnoticed; after all, I did it once before."

"Jillian, be reasonable! He found you once and he'll find you again. You can't keep running from him." Pete's voice was raised and it held a both a tinge of frustration and concern.

"Can't I?" Jillian calmly challenged. She knew in her heart that Pete was right. She needed to face this head on and see to it that Cal was locked up where he belonged, but she didn't think that she was strong enough to do that.

Rising from the couch, Jillian started for the door. She couldn't even look at Pete as she quietly said "I need to go pack so that I can leave. Goodbye, Pete; thank you for being such a nice, sweet person…and a good friend. I'll never forget you."

Pete, right on her heels, grabbed her hand and turned her to face him; tilting her chin up so that she was looking into his eyes. For the second time that evening, he could see her tears welling up and threatening to spill over.

Trying very hard to control his own voice around the knot that had suddenly formed in his throat, he spoke softly, yet deliberately, "Jillian, I am not going to let you walk out of here. You won't be safe. At least stay with Jim and Jean for a couple of days. Once we find Cal, there won't be any need to leave town. No need to run." _Lord, please help me get through to her!_

Pete continued to watch Jillian as she stood there looking up at him. He could see that she was fighting through several emotions at once, but in her eyes he could see that she was holding tight to her decision to leave; he decided to switch tactics.

Feigning a sigh he said, "Okay, I can see that you're determined to do what you think is best, but can I at least ask you to wait and not leave until morning? If you are going to be on the road for any length of time, I would feel better knowing that you are at least well rested enough to stay alert and drive safely."

She knew that Pete was right; she would have to be functioning with full mental capacity, and that wouldn't happen if she were tired. Reluctantly, she said "Okay, I'll wait and leave when morning comes, but I will not stay over at your friends house; I'll stay at my own place. I'm not putting anyone else in harms way if I can help it."

Pete slowly let out the breath that he hadn't realized he'd been holding and silently sent up a prayer of thanks. He had bought himself the evening to try and talk some sense into her.

"Fair enough. Just give me a minute to call Jim and let him know the change in plans and then I'll walk you over to your apartment."

Jillian walked back to the couch and sat down to wait as Pete walked over to the phone and dialed the Reed residence. Jim answered on the first ring, almost as if he had anticipated the call.

"Reed residence; this is Jim."

In a low voice, so that Jillian couldn't clearly hear him Pete said "Jim, it's Pete. Listen, there's been a slight change in the plans. Jillian is still insisting on leaving, but she is willing to wait until tomorrow. She doesn't want to put your family in any jeopardy so she is refusing to come over."

"WHAT? You have to be kidding! Is she crazy or what? Somebody is after her and she doesn't want protection? Now I've heard it all!" Jim was on steady rant.

Even as crucial as the situation was, Pete couldn't help but smile at his partner's ranting.

Still speaking in low tones he said "Jim, don't give yourself a stroke! Just listen to me for a minute; she said that she wanted to stay at her place; she never said that I couldn't stay over there with her; so, how about it? You feel like dropping over for the evening? I figure we can spell each other on keeping an eye out for him."

Pete could almost hear the gears churning in his partners' head as Jim slowly answered

"My, my, my…aren't you the clever one?"

"Yeah, that's why I'm the brains in this partnership. How soon can you get over here?"

"I'll be there within the half hour. Should I go straight to Jillian's?"

"No, just come to my place. I think we'll have a better chance of keeping her safe if she is over here than if we're at her place. Her apartment faces the back alley so it would be easier for him to gain access without being seen. If he decides to try anything tonight, at least this is the street side and with traffic going by somebody might spot him.

"Good thinking." Jim said; then he added "Uh, just when are you planning on telling her that she's staying at your place instead of her own?"

"I'm not…you are."

"If she won't listen to you, what makes you think that she will listen to me. She doesn't even know me for crying out loud! Besides, what are you going to do if she tries to leave before I get there?"

"I'm going to stall her long enough for you to get here and then you can have a crack at talking some sense into her. You know, just do what you do to me; talk around the issue so much that in the end she'll just give in just to get you off of her back."

Jim could've sworn that he heard Pete snicker at that last part of his sentence. _I think he just insulted me,_ he thought. "Yeah, okay, I can do that. I'll be there shortly," he said and then he hung up and went to tell Jean what was going on.

Pete quickly pushed the cutoff button on the phone and after securing another dial tone he phoned the station and spoke to the watch commander on duty. He quickly explained the situation and was assured that the area patrol car would make extra rounds in the area all night long, and that they would pass the information on to the next shift, as well. Before hanging up, Pete was instructed to keep the watch commander abreast of any new developments.

Going over to Jillian, Pete said "Jim's coming over here and then we can go back to your apartment." He figured it wasn't really a fib, after all they would need to go over there so she could get whatever she needed for the evening.

"We?"

"Yes, WE" said Pete matter-of-factly. "Tomorrow you can cut loose on your own but tonight Jim and I are going to make sure that you are safe." The tone in his voice told Jillian that she would be wise to not argue the point. She knew she had pushed his buttons by standing her ground about leaving. The last thing she wanted to do was leave on really bad terms.

"Okay."

Blinking as if he had heard wrong he replied with disbelief in his voice "Okay? Just, OKAY? Just like that? No argument?"

Shaking her head slightly she answered "Nuh-uh. No argument."

He just stood there, working the inside of his cheek with his tongue and staring at her as he thought to himself, _How can one person be so exasperating? I thought for sure that she would argue, but NOOOO, she just says 'okay'. Women!_

Sitting there and watching Pete, Jillian couldn't help but wish that things could be different. She didn't want to leave her apartment or Los Angeles, but most of all, she didn't want to leave Pete. She couldn't explain it, but she felt that they had grown close and were really beginning to 'connect' with one another. She quickly looked away from him so that he wouldn't see the fresh wave of tears that she was trying to stave off.

Pete, feeling a need to DO something, walked over to the coffee table and picked up both of their plates. "I hope you don't mind cold pizza," he said in a light voice accompanied by the slight touch of a smile on his face.

"I'm not very hungry"

"Yeah? Well I am, and I don't like to eat pizza by myself. Besides, I don't want to be woke up at two a.m. listening to your stomach growl! Heaven knows it sounds like a freight train now!" he chuckled as he placed the plate in front of her. As if on cue, her stomach growled, causing both of them to laugh out loud.

They were just finishing up when Jim arrived. Pete quickly made the necessary introductions and then offered Jim some pizza. He figured that his partner hadn't had time to eat yet and he knew how cranky he could get if he was underfed.

When she was finished eating, Jillian carried her plate into the kitchen and said to Pete, who was standing at the sink, "I thought you said your partner and his wife were my age. He can't be a day over twenty-one!" Pete nearly doubled over with laughter. He knew that one of Jim's pet peeves was that people often mistook him for much younger than he really was.

"Don't let him hear you say that!"

Jim picked that moment to enter the kitchen. "Don't let 'him', who, hear you say what?" he asked.

"Oh nothing, we were just talking" Pete jumped in quickly.

"How old are you, Jim? Pete thought that maybe we are close to the same age."

_Gotta love that honest, outright curiosity_ thought Pete.

"Twenty-seven." _I can't believe she's asking me such trivial questions at a time like this. I guess maybe the idle conversation helps to take her mind off of what's going on, _he thought.

"And your wife, Jean?"

"She's twenty-six and our little boy, Jimmy, is a little over two."

"Do you have any pictures? I was supposed to meet all of you tomorrow, but since that isn't going to happen, I want to have some sort of a visual memory to hold on to when I leave here." she said in a sad voice.

Jim was at a loss for words as he pulled out his wallet and handed her the latest family picture, taken just a couple of months ago after Jimmy had turned two. He also gave her a second picture; one of Pete and Jimmy. They were sitting on the floor playing blocks and laughing. She couldn't tell who had the biggest smile, Pete or Jimmy.

Jillian stared at the pictures for what seemed like an eternity, as if she were committing all of their faces to memory. She couldn't help but think what a beautiful little family they were and it saddened her to know that she wouldn't have the chance to get to know them. Handing the pictures back to Jim, she simply said "Thank you for sharing. You have a very lovely family. I can see why all of you hold a special place in Petes' heart. Hold on tight to them, Jim; _**all **_of them. Always keep them close to your heart." and with that she turned and went back into the living room. _I don't want to leave!_

Jim had to take a moment to swipe at his eyes before following her. He was thinking _Pete 'ole buddy, you just can't let this one get away!_

Pete had observed the entire exchange from across the room and he found himself taking a couple of deep, soul-shuddering breaths before going into the other room. _I can't let her go,_ he thought.

********

Pete, Jim and Jillian were sitting in Petes' living room. The television was turned on, with the volume on low. Pete and Jim were quietly talking to each other, formulating a plan. Jillian, pretending to watch t.v. was formulating her own plan. As much as she never wanted to see Cal again, she knew that if she could get Pete and Jim to go along with her plan, Cal could be in jail by the end of the night…that is if he chose tonight to make his move. If not, she would leave tomorrow before anyone else was up and about.

Nervously, Jillian cut into their quiet conversation. "Hey guys, can I talk to you a minute? I think I have a way to catch Cal."

Both men sat there looking at her as if she had suddenly grown two heads and pointed ears as Jillian told them her plan. It would require her to be alone in Petes' apartment, since his was the apartment that Cal had seen her in. Being alone would give Cal the time and opportunity to make his move. They would be out in the hallway, waiting for the 'signal' that Cal was near enough to the door that he would be thrown off balance when the door was kicked in. This element of surprise should give them ample time to enter the apartment and apprehend him before he realized what was happening.

"Absolutely NOT!" Pete growled.

"Are you crazy? Have you ever been held at gunpoint?" Jim asked incredulously. _She has to be nuttier than a fruitcake to think up a scheme like this,_ thought Jim. _Still, with a bit of tweaking, it could work._

"No, but isn't it at least worth a try?" and then turning to Pete she threw his words right back at him "Besides Pete, you told me that I can't keep running from him. What happens if I do leave, and he follows me? Where do I go from here? What if I am not fortunate enough to land in a place where there are people that I can trust and that I can turn to for help?" She could see that her words were sinking in and both men were contemplating what she had just said.

Going out on a limb, she took it up one more level, she reached out and took one of Petes' hands into her own. Looking deeply into his eyes she said "Pete, I don't want to keep running; I don't want to leave here; I don't want to leave L.A.; most of all, I don't want to leave…you." and with that, she brought his hand up and held it to her cheek. He could feel her tears spilling down over his hand and he knew he had lost this battle long before it even started.

Pete could only think, _As much as I want to take you into my arms and kiss away your tears, I can't right now. I have to have a clear head if we are going to pull off this crazy idea. I have to know that you are safe before I can let my guard down._

This was a private moment that Jim didn't want to hone in on so he picked up Petes' phone and called the station watch commander; he wanted to run the plan by him and see about getting a detective or two over here to stay inside the apartment with Jillian. He was pretty sure that she was going to use herself as bait whether he and Pete agreed to the plan or not so he figured a couple of extra guys would come in handy.

Within the hour, there were two plain clothes detectives strategically parked on the street outside of the apartment building. There was a third detective inside Petes' apartment, hidden out of sight in the bedroom. Pete and Jim were in Jillian's' apartment, with the door slightly ajar. They would remain here and listen for any signs of trouble from Petes' place. The 'go phrase' that had been worked out was 'I'm leaving Cal, move away from the door, NOW.' They would go on the word 'NOW'.

********

Everyone was in their assigned places. Now all they had to do was wait.

Jillian settled down on the couch with a magazine. She didn't want the television on because she didn't want any noise to interfere with being able to hear the sounds of anyone trying to get in. Besides, she could see the reflection of the window in the darkened t.v. screen. She would know the minute he came in. _It's completely dark outside._ _Cal isn't about to waste any unnecessary time. If it's going to happen tonight, it's going to happen soon,_ thought Jillian.

It took less than fifteen minutes for Cal to make his move. He easily scaled the fire escape and was standing on the landing just outside of Pete's window. He could see that Jillian was sitting on the couch reading. Her back was to the window. He quickly and expertly removed the screen without making a sound. He could see that once she got around the couch she had a straight path to the door so he knew that he would have to put himself between her and it before he let her know that he was in the apartment. Otherwise, she might bolt to a neighbor's apartment and call the police.

Jillian's heart was threatening to beat right out of her chest. She heard the ever so faint sound of the screen being removed. She stole a quick look at the darkened t.v. screen and could see Cal sneaking in through the window. _Wait for it, wait for it, wait for it _she kept thinking to herself.

Suddenly she heard "Hello, Jillian."

Despite knowing that he was there, she jumped up and let out a startled scream.

The color draining from her face she said "Cal! How did you get in here?"

"Through the window, baby. Didn't I always tell you never to leave the windows open? Bad things happen to people who leave the windows open. You always have been scatterbrained, though, so it really shouldn't shock me that you'd be so stupid." he said to her in a scathing voice.

The detectives on the street had seen him scale the fire escape. They quietly exited their vehicle and while one stealthily climbed up the fire escape, the other one went in through the front door and quickly took the stairs to the second floor. Pete and Jim had heard Jillian's scream and were poised in front of the door ready to make their move. The detective inside the apartment had come out of the bedroom and had a birds eye view of the happenings near the door. He stood poised and ready, as well. _That is one gutsy girl that Malloy landed, _he thought.

She rounded the couch and just as she thought he would, he placed himself between her and the door. His back was to the door. _So far, so good,_ she thought.

"Cal, get out of here; you have no business being here; I am not your 'property' and you can't just hunt me down like some wild game and drag me off" she said in a shaky voice as she continued to walk toward the door. The tactics were having the desired effect; he was being forced to back further toward the door as well.

He chose this moment to pull out a gun and point it straight at her. She momentarily froze in her tracks and thought, _I must be absolutely insane! I am way out of my league here! If I get out of here alive, I am going to have my head examined! _Forcing herself to take a calming breath, she tentatively took another step in Cals' direction. _Just a few more steps and he'll be right where I want him, _she thought.

"Don't come any closer or I will shoot you."

Looking him dead in the eyes she took another small step towards him. "No Cal, you won't shoot me. That isn't the way you operate." She knew that he couldn't stand to be challenged with a stare. Staring seemed to have a mesmerizing effect on him; it would make him uneasy and make him lose his concentration; it made him nervous. She had used this technique on more than one occasion to disarm his volatile ranting and raving. She was praying it would work just one more time. She remembered him saying that it was like looking into someone's soul and that if you could see into their soul, you couldn't possibly want to hurt them. She knew that he wouldn't shoot if she could just keep him focused on her unyielding stare. She held her gaze steady with his, not even blinking. Taking another small step toward him…_almost there_…_don't blink_…_show no fear_…_another small step…gotta keep talking…and walking. _She could hear her heart pounding in her ears.

"You like the thrill of the hunt more than the kill, don't you, Cal?"…_two more steps…_ "Why not put the gun down and let me leave? You can go away and get on with your life, and I can get on with mine. Nobody has to know this happened…_another two steps_…_he's right where I want him_.

Waving the gun at her he yelled "NO, that won't work. I told you that I would find you if you ran. You know that I have to kill you, don't you? Nobody disrespects me by running out on me. We could have had a good life together. After I have some fun with you, I'm going to kill you and then I'm going after your family. How does that sound?" They are going to pay dearly for not telling me where you were at; for making me find you on my own! Who do they think they are, anyway?"

Still holding steady with her gaze, Jillian calmly, but in a slightly louder tone of voice said "I'm leaving Cal, move away from the door, NOW!" And with that, she dove to the floor. Her right shoulder exploded in pain as she came down against the hardwood floor.

Pete kicked in the door. Cal managed to squeeze off one shot before both he and his gun volleyed through the air in different directions. Jim and the detective in the hallway bounded through the door and were on Cal in a heartbeat. The detective in the other room jumped out and yelled "freeze!" The detective on the fire escaped jumped in through the window and yelled, "freeze!"

Jillian, who was lying on the floor, was fighting a losing battle to stay conscious. It was a very short battle for her and the last thing she heard was somebody, she thought it was Jim, saying "You take care of her, we'll get him down to the station and booked…and something about paperwork. The whole scene seemed surreal to Jillian as blackness enveloped her.

When he saw her lying unconscious on the floor, Pete feared the worse. _No! I can't lose her! Please let her be okay! _he thought_. _ He was immediately at her side, trying to assess her injuries and wanting to make sure that she was okay. She didn't appear to be bleeding, so he was pretty sure that Cals' shot had not met it's intended mark.

He gently placed his hands on her face and tapped at her cheek while calling her name. Pete let out a sigh of relief when she let out a low moan and her eyes fluttered open.

Staring at Pete in wonder, Jillian questioned "I've died and I'm on my way to heaven and you're the angel that's escorting me?" Pete could tell that she was still rather out of it.

Chuckling softly he said "No, it's not quite like that; you are very much alive, and I am definitely not an 'angel' by any stretch of the means." He was rewarded with small, dazed-like smile from Jillian.

"Then you must be a knight in shining armor and I must be a damsel in distress?" she questioned, with a slight smile.

_Boy, she must've hit her head when she dove onto the floor thought Pete._ "Yeah, that'll work. And now that I've rescued you, we'll wait for the medics to get here and then we'll ride away to the hospital together on my trusty steed."

Coming around a bit more, Jillian mumbled "My shoulder hurts. Help me sit up, please."

"Do you think you can?"

"Uhh-huh" she said as she slightly nodded her head.

As he was helping her over to the couch to sit down, he couldn't help but notice that she was grimacing and favoring her right shoulder. _Did I miss something?_ Pete questioned to himself.

"What's wrong? What did he do to you? Did he hurt you?" Jillian could see both concern and anger flashing in Petes' eyes.

She was more alert now that she was sitting up. "No, he didn't do anything to me. I did this to myself when I dove to the floor. These wood floors are hard! You really need carpeting!" she shot at him in a gruff voice.

Taking it as a good sign that her sense of humor, and the rest of her, was still intact, he replied "You're not even safe from yourself! Maybe I need to get YOU some bubblewrap!" Together they shared a small chuckle over their private joke._ It's good to be alive and be able to laugh, _thought Jillian.

Shortly after getting her to the couch and into a sitting position, Jillian, shaking like a leaf put her left hand up to her mouth. Pete took it as the universal sign for 'I'm gonna toss my cookies' and he tried to stand her up so he could usher her quickly to bathroom.

Slapping at him with her left hand so that he would stop trying to pull her to a standing position Jillian looked at him like he had lost his mind and said "What are you doing, Pete Malloy?"

"I thought you looked like you were going to get sick," he said as he brought his hand up to his face, mimicking her actions.

"I was just yawning!"

"Oh, I see" he replied sheepishly, and sat down beside her.

"Pete?"

"Yeah, Jillian?"

"Thanks."

"You're welcome."

_Deafening silence._

"Pete?"

"Yes?"

"Now that Cal has been caught, what do you think I should do? Stay in LA or go home to Maine?" _Tell me to stay, tell me to stay, tell me to stay! _

"I can't answer that question for you, Jillian. You have to decide what you want to do. Of course, whatever you decide, it will have to wait until after his trial. I am sure you will be put on the witness stand." _I want so bad to tell you to stay here._

_Take the plunge, _Jillian thought to herself.

Looking into his eyes while reaching out and taking Petes' hand, she said, "Give me a reason to stay."

Could she have really said what he thought she just said? Pete could only dare hope that he had heard her correctly. _Here it goes,_ he thought. Putting his arms around her and pulling her close, yet being careful of her injured shoulder, he lowered his head and placed a gentle kiss on her lips. "Is that a good enough reason?" he asked in a deep, raspy voice.

Jillian, with a dreamy look on her face, said "Ohhh yeah!" and tilted her head up for another kiss.

They didn't know where this newfound turn in their relationship would lead them, but they both knew that they were eager to find out. There was so much more to say to each other. So many unspoken hopes and dreams that they both wanted to share with one another.

Off in the distance, they could hear the wail of the ambulance siren, at first faintly and then more clearly as it approached the apartment building. Discussions regarding their relationship would have to wait until later; the way they figured it, they were in no hurry, they had all of the time in the world to discover what the future would hold.

********

This completes the story of "The Past Comes Calling". My thanks to all who have taken the time to read it. I have enjoyed writing it and I hope that everyone who read it, enjoyed it, also. I am working on a few ideas for developing the budding romance between Pete and Jillian. Please take a moment to write a review because, as always, I look forward to hearing from anyone with pointers or tips.


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